But all that will change on December 21 when insurance fi rms will be outlawed from using a driver’s sex to work out how much to charge for car cover.

Traditionally, young women have paid less because they make fewer claims than men.

Their claims also tend to be less expensive to settle.

According to comparison site Gocompare.com, young men typically pay twice as much for their cover as women of

the same age.

For 17 to 18-year-old lads the cheapest fully-comp cover costs an average £4,000. For a girl of the same age, the average is £2,000.

But when the new rules come into force young girls will no longer get the big discounts they’re used to.

Some experts reckon they might have to pay 25% more, which could add thousands of pounds to their premiums.

Young male motorists, on the other hand, could see their premiums cut by as much as 20%. Some experts, however, reckon these premiums will remain unchanged.

Most women in a Gocompare. com survey didn’t realise that the changes could affect what they pay for their cover.

Older women won’t be hit as hard by the changes. Your gender doesn’t affect the cost of premiums so much after the age of 35, when experience, the number of claims you’ve had and where you live are more important.

Scott Kelly, of Gocompare.com, said: “Women whose insurance policies are due for renewal after December 21 should shop around for the best possible price.”

Other ways to cut your premium are to have a higher excess, to add an experienced driver to the policy, to fit an immobiliser, to downgrade to a smaller car or to ensure you park off-road.